The University of Oregon Ducks continued their winning streak against northwest rival Washington 26-20, Saturday night. The Ducks have now beaten the Huskies 12 times in a row. The game marked the return of quarterback Vernon Adams, who has been battling a finger injury, and wide receiver Darren Carrington, who missed the first 6 games of the season due to a suspension.

Head Coach Mark Helfrich says the conference win was huge.

Helfrich: "We've let a couple get away in our mind, which is unfortunate, but anytime you can win at Huskies stadium, that's good for a Duck."

Junior quarterback Jeff Lockie made his first start for Oregon a winning one, throwing for 228 yards and two touchdowns in a 61-28 victory over Georgia State yesterday.

Lockie took over for Vernon Adams, who was out with a broken index finger on his throwing hand.

Lockie: "It was a lot of fun, finally getting a chance and you know to play in front of these fans who I'm getting to know over 4 years and you know, my whole family here and just getting your name called in the beginning that was, you know, that was special."

U of O Economics Professor Bill Harbaugh has been in the news recently for his controversial acquisition of internal administrative U of O communications. Tuesday he chimed in on football coach Mark Helfrich's new five-year, $17 million contract.

Harbaugh says the U of O's success in football comes at the expense of the University as a whole:

Harbaugh: "It's probably a mistake for the University to be so invested in big-time sports, particularly college football. The University as a whole would be better off with a team that won half the games and had half the budget."

University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has won college football's most prestigious award, the Heisman Trophy.

Mariota is the first Oregon player, and the first Hawaiian native to win the award. Mariota was the definitive favorite to win. He accounted for a Pac-12 record 53 touchdowns and led the Ducks to a spot in the first College Football Playoff. In an emotional acceptance speech, Mariota thanked his team, his coaches and the Polynesian community.

The University of Oregon Ducks Overcame their 2 season hump against Stanford, Saturday. The fifth-ranked Ducks routed The Cardinal 45 to 16 at Autzen Stadium. Quarterback and Heisman candidate Marcus Mariota threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores.

Oregon climbed to No. 2 in the AP rankings this season but stumbled with a home loss to Arizona in October. The Ducks have since recovered and they're gunning for the inaugural playoffs.

The 9th Ranked University of Oregon Ducks routed their Northwest Rival, the Washington Huskies, 45 to 20 Saturday night. Freshman Royce Freeman ran for 169 yards and four touchdowns, the most in a single game for a Duck since Kenjon Barner, who had five against USC in 2012.

The Ducks extended their winning streak over Washington to 11 straight games and celebrated the 20th anniversary of "The Pick." The interception turned touchdown against Washington in 1994 is considered by most Duck fans to be a pivotal shift in the football program, ushering in the current era of success.

The University of Oregon Ducks survived the Washington State Cougars Saturday night 38 to 31 in Pullman. The Ducks were tied at 21 during halftime, but Quarterback Marcus Mariota was nearly flawless in the second half finishing 21-of-25 for 329 yards and five touchdowns. The Cougars did pressure the Heisman Trophy candidate sacking Mariota 7 times in the victory.

Mariota: "You know we knew that they were an aggressive defense and we were going to have to take a couple of hits, but we just had to keep chugging and guys up front, guys outside, we executed well."

The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the Wyoming Cowboys Saturday in Autzen Stadium. Quarterback Marcus Mariota passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more. The Number 2 ranked Ducks survived after falling behind 7 to zero in the first quarter. Mariota became the fourth Oregon quarterback to pass for more than 7,000 yards. He has thrown a school-record 71 touchdowns, with at least one thrown in all 29 games he's appeared in.

The University of Oregon Ducks have been close to a national championship for the last few years. The football program hosted media today (Monday) to preview the upcoming season.

Last year the Ducks finished 11 and 2, losing to rivals Stanford and Arizona. They won their bowl game against the University of Texas and conference media members picked the Ducks to win the Pac-12 this year. Second year head coach Mark Helfrich says it's great to talk in early August, but predictions don't really matter.

Football players from the University of Oregon had a chance to audition for a spot in the NFL today.

Scouts and personnel held drills and took notes on current Ducks planning on entering the NFL Draft. Drills included the 40 yd dash, “shuttle” sprints," and passing exercises. Cornerback Avery Patterson said the drills can be a little nerve-wracking.

You could call it "The Retirement Bowl." University of Oregon Defensive Coordinator Nick Aliotti joined University of Texas Head Coach Mack Brown (today) by announcing his retirement following Monday's Alamo Bowl.

Most of the recent conversation surrounding the Alamo Bowl has been Texas Coach Mack Brown's forced resignation. Steve Tannen hosts the Sports talk show "Crunch Time" on 95.3 The Score in Eugene. He says both football programs will use their coaches' announcements as inspiration. And he says Aliotti's decision isn't surprising.

The University of Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers have played each other since 1894. And along the way, friends, family and co-workers have been known to place wagers on the rivalry. KLCC's Desmond O'Boyle attended the game and asked fans from both schools about their most memorable civil war betting experience.

This year's game was a nail-bitter. Tied at halftime at 17, the Ducks pulled ahead of the Beavers with 29 seconds left in the 4th quarter with a touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota. The 36 to 35 victory was the sixth in a row for the Ducks in the series.

Not everyone in Eugene, was shopping on Black Friday. Tens of thousands of fans filled Autzen Stadium for the 117th annual ‘Civil War’ game between the University of Oregon Ducks, and Oregon State Beavers. And the classic rivalry didn’t disappoint.

The fifth-ranked University of Oregon Ducks didn't help their chances for a fourth year of B-C-S bowls. The Ducks were routed by the University of Arizona Wildcats 42 to 16, Saturday, in Tucson. The Wildcats took advantage of numerous Oregon miscues including three turnovers.

Things didn't go much better for Oregon State. The University of Washington Huskies defeated the Beavs 69 to 27 Saturday night in Corvallis. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak over the Huskies at Reser Stadium.

The University of Oregon Ducks looked much-improved Saturday, while the Oregon State Beavers faced a tough road opponent in Arizona.

The Ducks rebounded from last week's loss to Stanford with a 44-21 victory over the University of Utah Utes. Quarterback Marcus Mariota went into the game with questions about the health of his left knee, but threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns at Autzen Stadium.

Former University of Oregon football player Colt Lyerla has been arrested on drug possession charges.

Police say officers with the Lane County Interagency Narcotics Team observed Lyerla snorting what appeared to be a white powder in his car on Wednesday night. When police confronted him, the 20-year-old agreed to go to his home with officers to continue the investigation. But instead, he ran into a nearby apartment. Officers arrested Lyerla a short time later when he came back out.

In the pouring rain last night at Autzen Stadium, The University of Oregon walloped California 55 to 16. The game was essentially decided in the first quarter, when several Cal mistakes allowed the Ducks to open up a 27-0 lead. The rain caused miscues and turnovers on both sides. Oregon fumbled once – it was the first turnover by the ducks the entire season.

Oregon State was also victorious yesterday at home, defeating Colorado 44 to 17. It was a day for the record books for Beaver quarterback Sean Mannion, who threw six touchdown passes and set a school record.